Wooing a Princess
by DwarvenVow
Summary: He has to make her smile. A real, honest smile. One that she wouldn't be afraid to ever show to anyone at all. But can he, a simple, awkward man with no wealth or social standing, make her so happy? And when a handsome prince from a neighboring kingdom enters into the equation, Link is determined to give them no quarter. Written for sippurp123 on tumblr.


_Written for sippurp123 on tumblr with the prompt "TP Zelink - __Link trying to win Zelda's affections / Link has a crush on her."_

_This was meant to be a one-shot. Now it's a three-shot. lol_

* * *

The matriarch of Hyrule seemed...untouchable to the rest of the world.

She rebuilt the country with swiftness and grace, inheriting the crown, undaunted by the responsibilities ahead of her. When faced with her troublesome court and council, she took control of situations without blinking an eye. She was kind to her subjects, and integrated herself fully into daily life of the townspeople across Hyrule, gaining love and affection and devotion from everyone.

But no one truly _knew_ the queen. She kept everyone at a distance and never really spoke of her personal life to anyone.

So Link was surprised when, soon after his adventure was over, she asked him to be a part of her council.

"To understand my people and connect with them on a deeper level, I need someone who I can trust. Someone who has seen the entire countryside and can properly relate to them in a way the rest of my court cannot." She smiled then, placing a gloved hand to her heart. "Who better than you?"

He wasn't required to remain in the castle like the other council members. She merely asked him to drop in once in a while when he had time to give a report on what could be done for her people and the things that need improving. The other court members greatly protested to Link's presence, but he was honored and fully agreed to the arrangement.

On one occasion, he'd actually _missed_ the actual meeting, but the queen didn't turn him away. She smiled at his tardiness and his bashful gaze, and then invited him into her drawing room. "How about we chat in a nonformal setting, hm?"

And somehow, during that first nonformal meeting between hero and queen, their business turned into a full-on conversation of story-telling and reminiscing.

He was invited again. This time, for tea.

And then the next time, for a ride about the royal courtyards with their horses.

And the next, a friendly shooting competition.

By that time, Link was comfortable calling the Queen of Hyrule his friend, much to the chagrin of her council. He genuinely enjoyed her company, and he found that conversation was light, and easy. He knew she delighted in reading, and painting in her spare time (or what little of it she had). Soon, Link was able to make out her different expressions, despite how easily she could hide them; a slight, annoyed quirk of her eyebrow when there was a disagreement in her courts; a barely-there smirk when her arrow made quick work of slicing Link's in half on the bullseye; that distant, faraway look in her eye as she stared out into the world, thinking no one was looking.

Link was _always_ looking, though. More than he'd care to admit.

Soon, he began to spend more time at the castle than usual. He found himself returning there, and sleeping in one of the guest quarters more than his home in Ordon. After his journey, after all that he'd experienced, it was harder and harder to simply settle back to how his life was before. He liked to travel, and more often than not, he would return to his little room at Hyrule Castle. He didn't know why it suddenly changed.

It became apparent that Link was falling desperately in love with his queen on one such night as that.

He was always hungry, and lately, he'd been spending time writing his thoughts out in his journal. Without the company of Midna's yappy, nagging voice, his thoughts were so much louder, and occupied his mind enough for him to develop a mild case of insomnia. So, he wrote down everything he experienced in the day, as if he could send those moments and those feelings to his dear friend in the realm of the Twili.

It was midnight when he felt his stomach rumbling, and he stood up, bare feet padding across the hardwood floors of his small room in the servants' wing. He was in nothing but his undershirt and breeches, but there was no one around but the knights. He was comfortable enough for that.

He moved through the halls to the kitchens and retrieved an apple. Deciding to get some fresh air before returning to his writing, Link entered the courtyard outside of the castle, setting out into the gardens in the darkness.

He heard the sobs then.

Link stiffened, bare feet passing almost silently across the grass as he drew closer to the figure in the darkness, peeking out toward her from behind a tree. He saw the filmy, white silhouette of a long, silk nightgown with bare shoulders that draped over the grassy ground in a long train, and a woman with a gracefully shaped body. Her head was bowed as she stood before a small pond, the moonlight reflecting off the surface of the water.

It was undoubtedly the queen, facing away from him. And he almost looked away as he blushed, for this was the _least_ bit of fabric he'd ever seen her in (every curve of her body was visible through the gossamer gown in the moon's glow). But he couldn't tear his eyes away from the way her hair, loose and wavy instead of in its usual, polished style, swept down her back and over her bare shoulder. Or how her body shook with soft sobs, a sound he'd never _dreamed _of hearing from the strong, willful Queen of Hyrule.

His heart melted and broke at the same time, and his lips parted in sadness and enchantment. And Link couldn't fathom what had Queen Zelda in such a state. He wanted nothing more than to stride up to her and pull her into his arms, kiss the tears away, reassure her and tell her that she was beautiful, and it was okay to cry, no matter what it was, or who she had to be...

Link realized then what had him coming back to Hyrule Castle.

He didn't approach her that night, but he didn't leave her side, either. He waited by the tree until she cried the last of her tears, and continued to hide even as she retired back into the castle before the sun came up. Sitting at the base of the tree, Link stared up at the towers of the palace, and knew what he had to do.

He had to make her smile. A real, honest smile. One that she wouldn't be afraid to ever show to anyone at all. But could he, a simple, awkward man with no wealth or social standing, make her so happy?

Midna would've rolled her eyes at him, then probably kicked him for even _hesitating_.

It took a few days for him to actually get his act together and do something about his feelings and his worry over the queen's state of mind. He dwelled for long hours in the day, his usual, fast-paced adventures falling into languid, thought-ridden and worrisome trots through the countryside. What could he do? Where could he start? What would she like?

When he returned, he came just in time to watch a grand caravan headed by a lavish carriage enter the grounds of Hyrule Castle.

To be frank, Link frowned at the sight of the garish and rather vain way this carriage was surrounded by trumpets and drums, and the people coming out of their homes stood by in wonder at this loud display.

Link's eyebrows shot up and he urged Epona faster, coming up to the grand entrance to the palace. And he paused, his lips parting in slight dismay as a handsome man with expensive clothes decorated in ribbons and medals stepped down from the carriage. A prince from a neighboring kingdom?

Sure, he knew it made perfect sense that with Hyrule's return to power and stability, connections with other kingdoms would resume. But this...prince...

The way he bowed to the queen's curtsy, and the way he reached out to take her gloved hand to his lips just didn't sit well with the hero. His frown deepened. The queen's hand had been kissed many times, no doubt, but as the prince's eyes roved almost _hungrily_ over Zelda's form, Link's eyes narrowed. And he resolved that any adventures he had planned for the next few days would have to be on hold for now.

He had his own mission now. And as long as the prince was residing in the castle for "peace negotiations and trade discussions," so would _Link_.

Midna would _definitely_ mock him for that.

But now, he needed to figure out a direction, and fast.

First it was a letter. His writing skills had improved, he thought. Or so he'd hoped. It wasn't as if he was particularly poetic, but he needed her to understand, even if she didn't know it was from him. Surely she wouldn't think it'd be from that _prince_.

He knew that Queen Zelda was in the middle of reading one of her favorite novels, so while she was preoccupied with the plans for a new school in the town and political meetings with the prince and his advisors, he slipped a small sheet of paper between the pages where her bookmark was placed. And he waited in the library, pretending to read an encyclopedia of Hylian history.

When she arrived, she greeted him with her usual kind, gentle smile and his heart fluttered. Still, there was no sign of the woman who had been crying just the night before.

"Hello, Hero."

He grinned goofily at her acquired nickname for him. "Hello, Your Majesty." He stood politely to bow, but as usual, she lifted her hand and shook her head, gesturing for him to stay seated. Link complied with a secret smile, turning back to his book.

As Zelda picked up her novel, she raised an eyebrow at him. "...I didn't know you took such an interest in historical documentation, Link."

"You learn something new every day!"

She smiled just a _tiny_ bit, slipping into her seat across from Link. Then, she opened up her novel to the selected page. "I suppose you're right. I'm pleased that I have a reading partner...ah?"

Link stiffened, feigning ignorance as he cast a curious glance toward her. "Ah? What is it?"

The queen didn't answer, and unfolded the little, plain sheet of paper to read the words messily scribbled across the surface.

_What you do, what you say, how you feel does matter.  
__You are working too hard, not giving yourself credit most days.  
__Always pushing, always saying, "Do more! Do more!"  
__Stop. Right now. With me.  
__You don't have to do this alone._

She was silent for a long moment, and Link watched her face closely, his lips forming into a thin, focused line. Her eyes widened and lips parted, and her fingertips brushed over the words. There was a flicker in her eyes then, and she brought her hand to her mouth as she bit down on her bottom lip. It was an expression Link had never seen, and he _ached_ to...

"Who put this here?"

"P-Put what where?" He straightened, trying to look at innocent as possible. He...He wasn't strong enough yet. Not strong enough to tell her he'd seen her that night, and that he meant every word he wrote. He just wanted her to know _someone_ cared. And he needed to see how she reacted.

"...Nothing." A small smile, gentle and secret and faraway, graced her soft features as she folded the paper. "Never mind."

She suddenly stood and tucked a strand of golden brown hair behind her ear. "...I think I'll retire early tonight. Sleep well, Hero." She smiled, wider than before with a slight redness to her cheeks, before making her way out of the library.

Link had to give himself a pat on the back for that one.


End file.
